Oh man this twitter debate is getting old.
It does seem likely that the NCAA is never going to do anything about it. Everything I've said about it related to the (potential) danger of NCAA sanction. So that's out the way, but what about the propriety of doing it in the first place? For the record, I don't like it. And I can see why the NCAA would want to ban it, under the general category of "communication with recruits."
Used to be that to be a good fan, all you had to do was show up at the games and support the team. Maybe wear some team gear to show your pride when you're out and about. And hey, if you've got money to burn, donate to the athletic department. You didn't interact with recruits, and you had limited contact with the actual players. Maybe you see them at a team event to have them sign your kid's cap. Give them a holler as they head into the tunnel on game day, etc.
The problem arises when boosters take it upon themselves to "support the team" by getting involved beyond that limited fan role. They want to "make a difference" and step outside the box of what is proper. I believe that the NCAA, and individual programs, should do whatever they can to keep fandom as just that - fandom. They shouldn't cultivate an atmosphere or environment in which fans try to be more than fans, however innocuous it seems.
You could see the stink arising on the recruiting side when writers for the paid sites, like our good buddy Farrell, were clearly taking advantage of their role to act as a booster for a program. Hey look, Joe Blow thinks he can be a better fan by getting involved in the process, steering recruits, cheering and shilling for his chosen program, blah blah. Wannabe cops on a small scale.
So now we are going to be cultivating a new generation of "fans" who think it's OK to be contacting recruits directly, all in the name of supporting the program. So you can't police it, and hey, what does a random fan have to offer a recruit, actually? As long as he isn't offering something, it's just chatter, right? Well, sure, most of the time. And there is even a good logical way to amend the NCAA rules to account for all this, so that the NCAA isn't left looking stupid for having a rule that they can't enforce.
But I guarantee you, throw enough of this manure on the pile, and you will get weeds.
I could care less whether we get recruits or not as a result of fans contacting the recruit directly. That's a place I don't want to go, just like that obscene middle-0f-the-night visit that an ND coach made to Ishaq Williams a couple years ago.